What the WWE return of a possibly heel Roman Reigns means for SmackDown
After the Universal Championship match between Braun Strowman and the Fiend, Roman Reigns made his return to WWE after a five-month absence and destroyed both men. With “The Big Dog” officially back, it changes the landscape of SmackDown tremendously, but there could be a twist to this.
Reigns felt more like a heel in his return than the babyface we are accustomed to seeing. Not only did he lay out both Strowman and The Fiend, which is a heelish thing to do, he intimidated people at ringside while also talking trash. He told The Fiend “This [the Universal Championship] has always been mine, you’re just a freak in a mask. You can't handle the responsibility.” He also told Strowman "I made you, you ain't a monster unless I'm here."
Is Roman Reigns truly a heel now that he's returned to WWE?
It can be argued that the Fiend has been the babyface in his feud with Strowman, which would give more leverage to the argument that Roman is now a heel. However, the most interesting piece of evidence pointing towards a heel Reigns might be his new shirt. His new shirt’s tagline is “Wreck Everyone and Leave.”
Why that tagline is interesting is because of the new group, RETRIBUTION. What has RETRIBUTION been doing since they arrived? Wrecking everyone — and everything in WWE for that matter — and leaving. Is it possible Reigns is the leader of this new group? While there is no link whatsoever between Reigns and RETRIBUTION, it is interesting to note that RETRIBUTION had a video package during SummerSlam and it was expected that they would make their presence known, possibly during either the WWE World or Universal Championship matches.
Also, while RETRIBUTION have appeared on RAW, it feels like they are more present on SmackDown. They even had a confrontation with Strowman and the Fiend on last week's SmackDown. So, why tease RETRIBUTION getting involved in a match, promote them in a video package during SummerSlam, and not have them do anything?
Again, this in no way links Roman to RETRIBUTION, but it isn't as far fetched as it seems. Imagine the reactions if RETRIBUTION is attacking everyone, or is about to attack, during one of Reigns' matches. Fans could think they are going to attack Roman when instead it is revealed he was behind the group the whole time. It would be one of the most shocking moments in recent WWE history.
Why would Reigns want to be involved with RETRIBUTION? WWE can go with the story that Reigns wants to create a Shield 2.0 and mold SmackDown into his vision, kind of what Seth Rollins' character is supposed to be doing on RAW, but this would be more brutal and chaotic. Reigns could say that SmackDown went downhill during his absence and he's back to "fix it." Reigns could also say that he is upset with WWE for replacing him in the WrestleMania match against Goldberg with Braun Strowman, even though we know why in reality that change was made. This would also fit into RETRIBUTION being an anti-WWE faction.
Even if SummerSlam didn't mark Reigns' heel turn or him being involved with RETRIBUTION, and instead was an introduction to a more intense and authentic version of Reigns. It is still a welcome addition to the SmackDown roster and WWE as a whole.
WWE has been lacking star power and Reigns' return provides an added spark to a show which has been lacking that since he and other Superstars like Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn took a leave of absence. It also gives a credible challenger for The Fiend, who won the Universal Championship before Reigns returned. Now, SmackDown feels like a must-see show again and has lots of intrigue going into this Friday's episode. Now we see what’s next and if WWE can keep up this newfound momentum.